By the Crib Side
by Rui
Summary: Ryoko went to put Mayuka to bed, but what on earth is taking her SO long?


By the Crib Side

* * *

DISCLAIMER: Tenchi belongs to tenchi people who are the only ones making money off of him and his friends. Author's Note: I like the second movie the most, can you tell? 

* * *

"What's taking Ryoko so long?" Kiyone questioned, leaning back on the wall, folding her arms behind her head. 

Tenchi shrugged, "Don't know. But it's her turn." 

A few more moments slipped by, Aeka then grumbled a suggestion that maybe some one should drag Ryoko back. After all, putting Mayuka to bed shouldn't take nearly twenty minutes. 

The baby's father jumped at the opportunity, if Aeka had been sent to get the pirate, a fight would have more than likely broken out. So to avoid any complications, Tenchi slowly walked up the stairs to Mayuka's nursery. At the top of the staircase, he heard Ryoko's voice, low and soft. Quietly, he made his way to the jarred door of the baby's room and peered in. 

The room was bathed in silver moonlight pouring through the window opposite of the door. But instead of cooing softly in her bed, the tiny child was drifting off to sleep in Ryoko's arms. 

For a moment, the young man was in awe as the demon caller stood in a halo of liquid looking light. A small smile was on her lips, and for once, her golden eyes were soft with emotion as she stared down at the child in her arms. Tenchi leaned closer to hear what Ryoko was saying to Mayuka since her voice was barely above a whisper. 

"Kind of ironic isn't it?" She started, her eyes gazing up to the stars and away from the baby. "That there has been at least ten women doing everything possible to get Tenchi's attention, to marry him someday, and have a baby out of love." 

Tenchi's cheeks flamed in deep crimson. 

"But you were created out of darkness, not love. Not even with someone that cared about him," Ryoko closed her eyes as she bowed her head and opened them staring at a sleeping Mayuka. "But you're the one he'll love forever." 

Tears came to the pirate's eyes as she turned again to the stars. "Like Aeka and Sasami and all the others. I know, I know. You think 'Tenchi loves you too' but your wrong little one. He doesn't want me in the same way I want him. You know how I know that?" 

As expected, Mayuka didn't reply. 

"Since you asked so nicely, it's because he always pushes me from him in so many ways. He leads me to the edge of believing and then he does something stupid---like kissing Sakuya after making me think he cared about me by taking my hand." Tears started to slip down her face, she visibly tried to make them stop, but it was useless. 

"Or slapping me. When me and the old you fought. He did apologize for the physical, but that's not what hurt. I've been in so many fights I'd lost count years ago, but never did anyone ever rip out my heart with one blow." Ryoko was completely silent as the tears trickled out of her eyes. Hugging Mayuka close to her chest, the proud demoness cried on the baby's blanket. 

Tenchi watched helplessly. Always being considered the sweetest one out of the Masaki family, he was lost as to what sweetness to bestow on the hurting friend. More than once his heart broke for a woman, but never when they were still alive. 

"But!" Ryoko said a bit louder, raising her head away from the baby. "That's okay." She turned and gently tiptoed to the side of the crib. Placing Mayuka gently within its walls, the blue hair woman brushed a few strands of silvery blue hair from the baby's eyes. 

"It's a secret between me and you, okay small one?" the woman whispered, crouching down by the baby bed. She folded her arms on the end of the crib's lip and gazed down at Tenchi's daughter. "But I hope that someday you will see me as your mother." 

Tenchi eyes grew large at the words, and the blush that had retreated from his face when Ryoko cried came back ten fold. 

"I know your 'daddy' will never pick me out of all the people that want him. So, I'm never going to have any children of my own, because, like I told you before, it should be out of love." She paused for a brief moment, whipped her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt. "In a way I pretend that you are my daughter, and that Tenchi---is ---mine." 

His heart was beating rapidly outside in the hall; his fingers were gingerly placed on the door. Carefully, as to not make a sound, Tenchi pushed the door forward slightly. It was enough to let him slip in unnoticed. Something in his heart crumbled, and not for sympathy for Ryoko's personal pain. A truth of sorts shown through in her tears, and in the ones that were waiting to fall in his eyes as well. 

Tenderly, Ryoko continued with her explanation of her fantasy to the young child. Tenchi stayed carefully concealed in a shadowy corner, waiting for the appropriate time to make his move. 

"I'm guessing you could probably care less about all that I just told you, maybe some day you will---but I hope that you never fall in love with someone that isn't willing to return that love, Mayuka. I won't let it happen to you, that much I promise." Ryoko stood up, and leaned into the crib and gave a gentle-hearted kiss on child's forehead. 

The pirate nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt a pair of warm hands being placed on each of her shoulders. Turning, she blushed but before she could say anything, Tenchi stood closely behind her. Her cheeks went even a brighter glow of red. 

"She's beautiful when she sleeps." Tenchi whispered near Ryoko's ear. 

Ryoko nodded mutely in reply. For a few moments they watched the steady rhythm of the baby's breathing, the gentle rise and fall of its tiny chest as it lay before them. Tenchi's hands went from the top of her shoulders, and were placed gently on the crib's top. The pirate found her self paralyzed, as his hands had trapped her in between Mayuka's crib and himself. 

"LORD TENCHI!" Aeka shouted sweetly from downstairs. "RYOKO!" She called afterwards, needless to say it was said without a drop of care. 

"We better get back to the game." Ryoko whispered. 

Tenchi made a noise in agreement, but didn't move. He was acting totally out of character, and he knew it. Not a soul downstairs would not have fainted at the site of him choosing to be so close to Ryoko. But, what he was going to do next, would give a few of them a heart attack. 

Turning slightly, the cyan hair woman looked over her shoulder to see her love. "Tenchi, we shou-" Ryoko was cut short when Tenchi grabbed her lips in a kiss. Her gold eyes nearly doubled in size, but then decided to enjoy it while he was willing. 

It wasn't a long kiss, but one that Ryoko was sure she would never forget. It was gentle, yet very strong and very willing on both sides. Closing her eyes, she had to pinch herself on the wrist to make sure this wasn't just another dream that sooner or later reality was going to wipe out. No, this one was real. This is what she wanted from the Masaki boy when he had come back from Tokyo. 

Tenchi pulled back from the kiss first, slowly opening his brown eyes to the woman before him. She bowed her head slightly, and seemed to be trembling all over. 

"Ryoko?" He asked worriedly, brushing a few strands of her wild cyan hair behind her elfin ears. This wasn't exactly the reaction he pictured with her, he had expected to be throttled within a moments time if ever he did kiss her. 

"Shh," Ryoko whispered, placing a shaky finger on the boy's lips. "If this never happens again, then I just want to remember this like it is." With the last word spoken, she looked up into his dark brown eyes allowing him to see how truly vulnerable she was at the moment. 

Tenchi could only think of one thing to do and for once, did it. Without so much as a word, the boy wrapped his arms around the older woman, and held her close. For a moment, Ryoko sighed with contentment, she had gotten what she wanted. It would have been longer, for neither was in any hurry to release the other until the sound of Aeka's voice was closer and more demanding. 

"RYOKO!" She screamed, plainly annoyed. "Lord Tenchi!" The princess had called with all the sugar in her being, trying to cover up the annoyance with him as well. 

The couple separated, with one more shy glance the pirate was the first to leave the room, bumping into her Highness in the hallway, and reverting back to defensive Ryoko. 

"Can't you be quiet? Mayuka just went to sleep!" Ryoko fumed angrily, the debate was carried down the steps, or so Tenchi guessed as it traveled further away from the nursery. 

He watched the door, as if the pirate was going to come bursting through it at any moment. Sighing, the ebony haired young man touched his lips with his fingertips, and smiled against them. It might not have been deep, or passionate, perhaps he'd call it just a friend's kiss. 

"What do you think, Mayuka?" Tenchi asked, looking down at his daughter, who had woken up at some point. She blinked and cooed at him before yawning and wiggling around her crib a bit, settling in for the night. 

"Yeah, I think so to." He whispered leaning over the side of the crib, and kissing his petite daughter's head, much like Ryoko had done only moments before. "Perhaps more than friends?" 

The baby let her eyelids droop down over her large golden brown eyes in response. Talking to the little girl seemed therapeutic for Ryoko; maybe he should start to do the same? 

* * *

"What's taking Lord Tenchi so long?" Aeka cried, she was getting sick of waiting for her turn to come around again. She was one move from winning, and she'd like to when before Mayuka was in college! 

"Maybe someone should go get him?" Sasami said bored with the lack of movement on the game board. 

"I'll go get him," Ryoko volunteered, getting up and making her way to the nursery. Perhaps, she mused; there would be a repeat scene, and this time she'd be the one to surprise him. 

Maybe it wouldn't be the last time. 

* * *

AWWW! Got to love pure fluff!!! Hehe, I was surfing around my 'puter and found a bunch of half finished stories, I'm going to try my best to get them out, some of them are really good ! (nothing like giving your own reviews! :p) 


End file.
